Access All Areas May 2020 | Page 33

MAY | FEATURE Mental health in quarantine How do you look after your mental health in lockdown? Members of the Actavo team weigh in with their thoughts on quarantine wellbeing. Emily Kenward, UK Operations Manager – I’m speaking to my family and friends more than ever and I’m trying to take the positive view that when we all come out of this that everyone will appreciate each other more. The face to face contact will be more meaningful and maybe we will make more time for it and be in the moment when there, leaving the mobile phones in our bags or pockets! Denis Diggin, Managing Director - Keep to a routine: getting up, getting dressed, sticking to meal times and making the most of our one daily piece of exercise. I am a big fan of starting early and getting out to the gym for half an hour at lunchtime when I can. Obviously the gym is off the cards at the moment, but I am still up at the crack of dawn and taking my daily walk at lunchtime. Sol Hernandez, Office Manager - “I have become closer to my family in Spain than we have ever been since I moved to the UK. Regardless of the distance, we have a call everyday around 6:30 (before clapping time in Spain – they do it every day there!) just to have jokes, see each other on video, cheer everyone up. We also get to see the baby of the family who is growing faster and faster! Before this we could spend weeks without talking with each other, and now we don’t spend a day without seeing each other, even if it is through a screen.” 33